HOI POLLOI


Meaning of HOI POLLOI in English

[ ˌhɔɪ pɒ'lɔɪ ]

■ plural noun derogatory the common people.

Origin

C17: Gk, lit. 'the many'.

Usage

Strictly speaking, the phrase ~ translates as ‘the many’. Some traditionalists insist that it should not be used with the , since that would be to state the word the twice, but the ~ has now become an accepted usage in standard English.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.